Packet based communications networks, such as Ethernet, are becoming an increasingly popular means of communicating data of various types and sizes for a variety of applications. As an increasing number of devices are enabled for packet based communications, energy consumption of those devices may be a concern for a number of reasons. In this regard, the cost associated with powering and cooling networking devices is skyrocketing and constitutes a large portion of the overhead of many businesses. Also, power consumption is a concern for the increasing number of network devices that are battery powered, because maximizing battery life often correlates to increased productivity.
Another area of concern in modern packet based networks is the ability to support various functions that require accurate timing. In this regard, packet based networks are increasingly being utilized to carry traffic such as voice, and multimedia traffic that require accurate timing so as not to degrade user experience. Conventional timing methods for packet based networks are also directly at odds with the goal of making the networks more energy efficient.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.